Fastener



Oct.15, 1957 D. I. RElTER 2,809,410 FASTENER Filed July 19, 1954 INVENTOR DIM/IE2 I, P5175? Min 4 at @ffice 2,809,410 Patented Oct. 15, 1957 FASTENER Daniel I. Reiter, New York, N. Y.

Application July 19, 1954, Serial No. 444,144

7 Claims. (Cl. 24-163) This invention relates to fasteners for straps and belts such as buckles and double-loops and more specifically to an improved double-loop fastener that is characterized by its simplicity, low cost and durability.

Double loop fasteners which differ from buckles only in the elimination of the tongue, may be formed in a variety of ways as by casting, positioning a central member between the midpoints of opposite sides of a rectangular structure or by welding a pair of rings one to the other. in any case it is important that the structure be rigid with all elements lying in a single plane. The attainment of this end has necessitated the employment of the foregoing procedures which involve relatively costly equipment and time consuming procedures adding materially to the cost of the completed item. Furthermore, whether the double loop or buckle be molded or welded it is usually necessary to subject it to suitable finishing operations such as grinding, polishing and plating which further complicates the manufacturing process.

Accordingly it is one object of the invention to pro vide a new and improved double-loop fastener or buckle that can be fabricated quickly and easily and at a considerably reduced cost. This is attained through the fabrication of the cooperating elements so that they will interlock one with the other and the provision of means for maintaining them in such interlocked relationship.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a new and improved fastener that may be fabricated from wire or rods of any desired shape Without waste and without the need for final finishing operations upon completion of the assembly. Moreover the elements of this invention may be automatically fabricated and assembled by means of relatively simple power press equipment which eliminates the need for costly dies and the constant maintenance normally required.

Still another object of the invention is a new and improved fastener that may be fabricated from wire stock and wherein the ends of the wire are completely hidden and protected so that they cannot mar or damage belting that may be used therewith. This is particularly important in connection with decorative belts and straps for womens garments, handbags and the like.

The above and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings forming part of this application.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the invention illustrating a general application thereof;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the fastener in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the rod or wire to illustrate one method in which the wire stock may be severed to form the elements of the fastener;

Fig. 4 is an elevational View in partial section of the assembled fastener to illustrate the cooperation of the elements one with the others; and

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 4 taken along the line 5-5 thereof.

While the drawings illustrate one embodiment of the fastener in accordance with the invention, namely a double-loop slide fastener, it is apparent that the same or similar structure may be provided with a tongue to form a buckle. In either case the term fastener as used in this description is intended to apply to both doubleloop fasteners as well as buckles.

Referring now to the drawings, the fastener comprises a pair of interlocking loops or rings 10 and 12 of elongated configuration with rounded end parts, though it is apparent that they may be circular, rectangular or other desired shape. The two rings are preferably identical one with the other and are arranged so that their corresponding edges interlock as shown in Fig. 4. More specifically each ring has a straight side section 14 integrally formed with rounded end parts 16 and 18. The end section 18 terminates in a short straight portion 20, while the rounded part 16 terminates in a relatively long member 22, a portion of which is curved outwardly as shown at 24 so that the two linear segments thereof lie parallel to the ring part 14 with the ends 26 and 28 of members 2% and 22 respectively spaced a distance approximately equal to the thickness of the stock forming the rings or loops. In this way the members 22 of each ring interlock one with the other and in a common plane as shown clearly in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

Upon bending and assembling the rings 10 and 12 in the manner illustrated, they are then secured in this interlocked position by means of a U-shaped clamp or hinder 3t surrounding the ring parts 20 and 22 with the ends 32 and 34 of the binder being bent inwardly thereof to completely cover the connection and hold the rings firmly in position. In this way the necessity for molding double rings or for welding two rings together is completely eliminated together with all final finishing operations. With a structure in accordance with the invention, the stock forming the rings 10 and 12 and clamp 36 may be of any suitable rust resistant material or plated steel having polished surfaces thus avoiding the time and expense of finishing operations.

While the ends 26 and 28 of each ring may be cut square or diagonally, the latter is preferred in order to provide a more secure structure. This procedure is shown in Fig. 3 wherein successive pieces of stock 35 and 38 have been severed from a rod 44) by diagonal cuts. The angle of the cut is coordinated with the slope of the bent section 24 of the ring part 22 so that the ends of the cooperating ring will lie fiat against the sides thereof. While the use of diagonal end faces utilizes slightly more material in no case is any of the rod or wire stock Wasted.

It is apparent from the foregoing that this invention is readily adaptable to manufacture with suitable automatic machinery such as kick presses or power presses and suitable assembling apparatus for interlocking pairs of rings and aflixing the clamp. The fabrication of double-loops and buckles in this way reduces manual operations to a minimum and eliminates costly finishing operations while at the same time providing a fastener of suflicient strength for use in connection with belts and straps for handbags, clothing and the like at a cost far below that of prior structures.

While only one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is apparent that many modifications, changes and alterations may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A double-loop fastener comprising a pair of loops each having its ends positioned in spaced relationship one to the other, a portion of each loop adjacent one of said ends being displaced outwardly relative to the other of 'said ends and in a plane with the remainder of said loop for engagement with the other loop, and means for clamping the ends of said loops in engagement one with the others. p v v V v 2. A double-loop fastener according to claimlwherein said clamping means constitutes a U-shaped ibinder' 4. A double-loop fastener comprising a pair of inter- 1 locked loops each formed of an individual length of material with the ends spaced one from the other a distance substantially equal to the thickness of said-material, one

end of each loop terminating in a relatively short straight section and the other end terminating in a relatively long straight section displaced outwardly and in a plane with the remainder of said loop for reception by the other loop, and means encompassing the ends of said loop for holding them in said interlocked position.

5. A double-loop fastener comprising a pair of interlocked loops each formed of an individual length of material with the ends cut on a diagonal and spaced one from the other a distance substantially equal to the thickness of said material, one end of each loop terminating in a relatively short straight section and the other end terminating in a relatively long straight section displaced outwardly and in a plane with the remainder of said loop for engagement by the other loop, and means encompassing the ends of said loops for holding them in said engaged position.

6. A double-loop fastener comprising a pair of inter- Cir locked loops each formed of an individual length of material with the. ends cut on a diagonal and. spaced one from the other a distance substantially equal to the thickness of said material, one end of each loop terminating in a relatively short straight section and the other end terminating in a relatively long straight section displaced outwardly and in a plane with the remainder of said loop for engagement by the other loop, and U-shaped clamping means surrounding and covering both ends of each loop to secure them in said engaged position with all portions of each loop lying in a common plane.

7. A double-loop fastener comprising a pair of interlocked loops each formed of an individual length ofmaterial having a reverse bend and the planes of each end in substantially spaced parallel relationship with the shortest distance between said ends being approximately equal to the thickness of said material, a relatively short straight section adjacent one of said ends and a relatively long straight section adjacent the other of said ends, said long section being displaced outwardly relative to and parallel with said short section a distance substantially equal to the thickness of said material so that the long section of one loop is in approximate axial alignment'with the short section of the other loop when said loops are engaged, and U-shaped clamping means holding said loops in engageinent one with the other.

References Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,820,578 Mosgrove Aug. 25, 1931 I FOREIGN PATENTS 15,143 Great Britain of 1888 16,123 Great Britain of 1915 721,888 France Dec. 23, l93l 

